REAL Tips

Appraisal Inspection: an Overview

June 19, 2010 by BigMama · 1 Comment 

An Appraisal Inspection collects information that is used to determine the Market Value of a property in a real estate appraisal report. Prior to the appraisal inspection, the appraiser will research information about the property and the neighborhood. This includes confirming that the property details (lot, block, street address, etc.) are correct, which establishes that [...]

REALTOR Tips: Don’t Hide the Big Dog in the Bathroom

June 8, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

I like dogs. A doggie surprise while on tour, though, is an entirely different matter. For example, the game called “Where is the Dog?” is not one to play with prospective buyers for your home, or for your client’s home, if you are the listing agent. A few weeks ago, I had carefully lined up [...]

Real Estate and the Rainy Season

April 28, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

I love HouseLogic.com – they have a great selection of timely articles for homeowners and future-homeowners. These articles are well-written, have great sources for further reading and research and are, drum roll please, available for re-distribution by REALTORS®! Take a few minutes to read through some of these and help preserve the value of one [...]

The Short List: Clean it, Fix It, Stage It

April 7, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

I pre-viewed a FSBO (For Sale By Owner) this past week and was impressed by how much the homeowner had done, but was dismayed by what he had missed which will almost certainly impact the price he can expect to receive for his property. He had nailed two of the three fundamental steps in getting [...]

Real Estate Appraisal Video

March 30, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

Ever wondered what a Real Estate Appraisal entails? In a nutshell, Real Estate Appraisers determine the Market Value of property. This video, produced by my husband, Orlando Masis, Founder of

Ways to SAVE on Energy Costs for your HOME

February 18, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

Oh what a glorious day we have today for the weather in Austin! On days like this, I want to burst out of the house, dance in the yard and then start a new project! Sometimes, however, the projects need to be what a house needs, as opposed to just what makes it pretty (prettier!). [...]

Homeowners Insurance: Do You Have a CLUE

February 10, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

CLUE is short for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, otherwise known as the really big database where insurance companies keep track of the claims filed on a property as well as the claims filed by individuals. Your CLUE report impacts the rate and availability of policies that insurers will sell to you. These two articles, from [...]

House Paint: It’s NOT All the Same

February 8, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

Meet Dale. Dale is my Paint Guy – he is the Manager of Austin’s Hill Country Paints. When I need my paint fix, which is quite frequent, I go visit him and his co-worker John, at the store on Anderson Mill in Northwest Austin. I’ve recently realized just how interesting these visits are – not [...]

Price Your House to Sell

February 7, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

Want to get the most money for your home? Think that means put a nice big price tag on it? Think again. If you want your house to sell, you have to price it for current market conditions, period. Not for what you hope you can sell it for, not what a neighbor sold theirs [...]

Tax Credits for Energy Efficient Home Upgrades

February 6, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

Ah, the joy of opening a really nice low water, electric or gas bill can *almost* off-set the nasty surprise we get when we open up a whopper bill and wonder how on earth we used THAT much of something in a given month . . . and then realize that we’re half-way through the [...]

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